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February 2001 - Volume 16 I Number 1 to Growth of Bicomponent in Spunbond Capacity By John Hagewood, Hills Inc. Hills Inc., West Melbourne, Florida has been installing bicomponent fiber spinning capacity in spunbond and meltblown lines for many years. More than 20 projects have been completed or were being installed by the end of 2000. This activity started with relatively small lines and pilot installations but has recently accelerated to include a number of large commercial lines. Multiple types of bicomponent fibers are being produced, including sheath/core, tipped, side-by-side, mixed filament and splittables; however, the majority of the capacity has been focused on sheath/core products. Two typical polymer combinations are being used today. The first is polypropylene and polyethylene, where polyethylene is used for hand. The other is polyester in combination with copolyester, with the copolyester being used for low-melt bonding. Figure 1 shows growth in production of spunbond fabrics in North America and Europe in the past decade. Capacity in this area has experienced a long-term annual growth rate of approximately 7%. Projected on this graph is the installed capacity to produce spunbond bicomponent fibers using Hills technology in this same timeframe.
Growth in Bicomponents to Accelerate The bicomponent portion of spunbond production is still in its infancy, but growth is projected to continue to accelerate at an annual pace of 15% to 20% for the foreseeable future. Approximately 10% of all spunbond capacity in North America and Europe has the ability to spin bicomponent fibers. Until recently, most of the activity to install Hills bicomponent capability in spunbond and meltblown lines has been in North America and Europe. However, interest in Asia (particularly in Japan) is increasing, and several Asian companies are expected to shortly purchase spunbond lines having Hills bicomponent capability. The collective capacity of installed spunbond lines with Hills bicomponent capability is presently over 80,000 tons/year (approximately 200 million pounds/year). Two of the driving forces to this rapid increase in bicomponent capacity in spunbonds come from advances in technology. One advance is in the ability to manufacture long bicomponent fiber packs 3.4 meters or longer in length. Coupled with this is the ability to now produce bicomponent fibers with the same hole densities — and at the same throughput rates — as standard spunbond packs. To better service this large and growing market, Hills has established a number of strategic alliances and partnerships with other spunbond and meltblown equipment manufacturers worldwide. Through these partnerships, customers have the option to put bicomponent fiber spinning capability into many different types of spunbond machines — either directly with Hills or with one of its partners. Hills has also developed a bicomponent meltblown die that can be interchanged with a Hills bicomponent spunbond die so that conversion between meltblowing and spunbond processes can easily be made. This bicomponent meltblown die is also unique in that it can produce bicomponent fibers of all types, including sheath/core, side-by-side, tipped and splittables, at the same rates as a normal homopolymer meltblown die. For further information, please contact Hills Inc. Tel: 1 321 724 2370. Fax: 1 321 676 7635. Email: jhagewood@hillsinc.net Turkey’s Mogul Nonwovens Adds Meltblown Line, Boosts Capacity Mogul Nonwovens, Gaziantep, Turkey, a major producer of polypropylene spunbond roll goods, is gearing up to capture new markets by starting production of a pure meltblown roll goods and composites line. The meltblown technology, a spunmelt technology similar to spunbond, will complement Mogul’s existing business and help the company to diversify its product range, enter new markets and produce more value-added products, said Commercial Director Serkan Gogus. The new proprietary technology features: 160 cm net width; a 5-500 gr/m2 weight range; PP and PE processing capability; 1100 ton annual capacity; ability to laminate two additional layers online, which will enable SMS, SM,SMF and other composites, or bicomponents; ability to add colorants and additives; ability to spray pulp into meltblown to form composites with special features; Corona treatment for electrostatic charging to improve filtration efficiency and durability of filter media; and the ability to make flat and point-bond heat calendering. The company’s target markets are filtration, medical absorbents, wipes, protective clothing, construction, roofing underlays and insulation. In addition to its current range of laboratory equipment, Mogul also is investing in an array of new testing equipment that will enable the company to perform even more product tests for different applications. Big Capacity Boost Moreover, just last month Mogul announced a major expansion of its PP spunbond production capacity. The new line is expected to start production in April, the company said. The line will add about 9000 tons per year of capacity, nearly doubling Mogul’s current output. The line width is 3200 mm after edge trim, with additive and spraying facilities. Main markets served by the new line are bedding, furniture, medical, coating and laminating substrates, luggage and shoe lining, as well as geotextiles and construction. The new line was installed by Impianti of Italy, with modifications to improve fabric quality. The line uses the latest winding and rewinding technology from A. Celli of Italy and slitting equipment that will enable the company to supply 120 cm diameter jumbo rolls.  |
